Method of producing containers from thin gauge stainless steel



Aug. 10, 1954 M. O. KUHN METHOD OF PRODUCING CONTAINERS FROM THIN GAUGE STAINLESS STEEL Original Filed Nov. 19, 1947 LL; w

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m 30 n 3/ \w I INVENTOR. MAXQ/fUH/Y BY 621 j A TTOP/VEVS Patented Aug. 10, 1954 METHOD OF PRODUCING CONTAINERS FROM THIN GAUGE STAINLESS STEEL Max 0. Kuhn, Quincy, Ill., assignor to The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Original application November 19, 1947, Serial No. 786,921. Divided and this application October 27,1950, Serial No. 192,583

1. This invention relates to welding methods, especially to a method of fusion welding a continuous scam in a tubular or hollow article.

This application is a division of my copending application, Serial Number 786,921, filed November 19, 1947, now abandoned.

Heretofore, in the production of various articles for containing food or other consumable articles, various types of welded constructions have been proposed. For example, in the construction of milk cans, beverage containers, and the like, the containers are conventionally manufactured by forming a sleeve-like body portion and butt welding suitable dished end caps thereto. Such containers are frequently made of low carbon However, considerations of cost require the stainless steel stock to be of thin gauge to save material. Use of thin gauge material also reduces the weight of the container. The material is usually so thin, .036 inch or less in thickness, as to make it impracticable to butt weld the caps of the container to the body portion and rather serious problems in welding the parts have arisen.

The difliculty mainly arises from thefact that the end cap members are hidden within the body portion of the'container so that it is not possible to determine visually whether the parts are accuratelyassembled for welding. If the parts are 1 not properly positioned the welding torch can not be accurately located with respect to the area heating is likely to occur. The-result is that the welded seam will not be smooth and continuous or the stock will be burned through before a sound weld is obtained. Moreover, if the parts are not closely spaced even with proper torch positioning the well will not consistently be of high quality and weldingtimes will be longer. 7

The present invention provides an'improved' method of welding relatively thin stainless steel to produce such containers. The method owes its success to two main features, the proper positiming of the parts relative to each other and the snug abutment of the surfaces to be welded with each other. in thepreferredform of the inven- 1 Claim. (01. 113120) tion, the body portion of the container is provided with an inwardly projecting shoulder which acts as a stop to position a telescoping cap member inserted therein. The shoulder has a surface of appreciable length extending at approximately right angles to the body and forming a sharp corner with the body. This sharp corner by acting as a positive stop provides proper positioning of the parts, and by reducing the crevice between the outer edge of the cap member and the shoulder ensures a continuous smooth Weld. The parts can be welded on relatively simple welding apparatus and with a minimum of handling. Such positive positioning of the parts also insures that the welding torch will be properly located relative to the joint between the parts and a faster and better weld can be made.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a welding method capable of giving consistently satisfactory results under production conditions.

.40' to be welded and either overheating or under- A further object "of the invention is to provide an improved continuous method of fusion welding two surfaces together.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention willbe made apparent from the following description of the invention in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is an exploded view, in longitudinal section, of the various parts of a container to be welded together in accordance, with the principles of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of a container ready for welding in accordance with the principles of the invention;

Fig.3 shows in longitudinal section a partially fabricated container being processedin accord- I ance with the invention;

Fig. 4 iS'a fragmentary section on an enlarged A scale showing the shoulder construction of the container of Figure 2.

As best shown in Fig. l, a container formed according to the invention comprises a tubular body portion it formed from flat stock rolled into cylindrical form with its edges butt-Welded along a longitudinal seam. The ends of the container are closed by end cap members 1! and I'Z'Which are of a size to be telescoped into the ends of cylinder It, in pressed fit engagement therewith.

One of the features of the present invention is the inwardly extending shoulders and I 4 which are formed in the body Ill to act as positioning stops for the end caps II and I2. These shoulders are formed in such a manner-as to'have surfaces [5 and i6 extending at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the body ill and intersecting the body in sharply clefined'corners I11 and I8, see Figure 4. When the cap members are inserted in the body their end edges will fit snugly against the perpendicular surfaces l5 and i6 and seat within the sharp corners ll and [8. In the absence of the perpendicular surfaces and the sharp corners the cap members would have a tendency to ride past their'proper'positions'in the step of assembly, but with such a construction there is no danger that the cap members will fail to be properly positioned.

The shoulders are formed by rolling the body between a pair of rotary die members which produce the desired sharp right-angled corners by gripping the body forcibly between them while roiling it to form the circumferential grooves and shoulders. Each of the die members have cooperating relatively sharp edges and the 'members are spaced apart so that the edges areseparated a distance equal the thickness of the stock. These edges bite into the metal .to form the sharp corners. In other respects the die members are conventional, taking the form respectively of a supporting mandrel adapted to extend within the body iii, and an external member supported externally of the body and being movable toward the mandrel to pinch and shape the wall. of the body H1 between them. One or both of the die members may be driven toimpart a rotary movement to the body for the grooving operation.

To assemble the parts, the end cap members I I and i2 and the body it are held inappropriate chucks. The end caps are then moved forcibly by their chucks into the body until their edges abut the shoulders it and It. The chucks for the cap members are preferably pneumatically operated so that they will urge the parts -t0- gether with'a force of about five pounds.

The assembled parts are welded by fusion, heat being applied by means of "a torch to each of the localized zones adjacent the grooves I3 a and I ia on the outer wall surface of the "body iii the grooves acting as guides for the torch. Heat is conducted to the abutting surfaces of the end caps and to the annular shoulders to fuse the surfaces together forming a welded seam devoid of crevices or laps, and having a smooth'unbroken surface.

The welding process is preferably carried on in the manner and with the apparatus shown in Figure 3. It will be noted that end "cap H is provided with aperture 24 centrally thereof, for the ultimate receipt of a plug or other closure member; aperture 24 is utilized, during welding, for the insertion into the container of conduit'25, positioned to extend at rightangles to the axis of the container body Ill to a point adjacent the outer surface of cap H at the crown thereof. Conduits 25 and 26 connect toasource of an inert or reducing gas so that an inert or reducing atmosphere may be maintained at the area of weld interiorly of the container. The welding nozzle or torch 21 which supplies the welding heat is conventional. A pair of chili rings 38 and iii are telescopedover body portion l6 and positioned adjacent each side of the groove l3 for the purpose of confining the heat to the weld area;

the rings having sufficient mass to effectively withdrawand store a large quantity of heat from body In and from'the end cap H to localize the heat to the welding area and to prevent excessive heating of any large'areas. The body and end members are rotated with respect to the stationary torch "21 at a speed slow enough to melt the :metal :and eifect fusion between the cap i2 and the shoulder l3 of the body to produce the desired tight, continuous welding of the parts and fast enough to prevent burning through of the metal.

It will be noted that the fit of the edges of the end caps into the sharp corners and against the perpendicular surfaces of the shoulders is such that only a small crevice indicated at 32 exists between the parts before welding. When the welding heat is applied to fuse the metal, the surfaces of the crevice will readily pull together to form a smooth unbroken surface. If the shoulder were rounded or 'of such a shape that a rather large crevice existed, the crevice would fill in during welding only with diificulty, if indeed at all. The present invention thus oiiers greater assurance that the weld will fill in completely to form a smooth continuous surface. Moreover such a weldrequires less welding time than is the case where a large wide-open crevice is present.

The welding method disclosed herein results in fluid-tight bonds between metal surfaces without the necessity of supplying any additional metal thereto. Since only the metal of the abutting surfaces'is caused to fuse together, a smooth joint, free of crevices and rough spots common in conventional welded joints results. The joint is therefore ideal for employment in containers adapted to contain edible material. The method is applicable to otheruses during manufacturing process wherein a smooth and easily cleaned joint is desired.

While apreferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail herein, it willbe understood that the invention is not limited to the specific example set forth since modification may beresorted to wtihin the scope of 'the appended claim.

I claim:

The method of producing a container from stainless steel of relatively thin gauge stock by joining a body member to a closed end member, said members having telescoping cylindrical portions, which comprises the steps of grooving the body member to form a circumferentially extending annular shoulder project ng inwardly from the-circumferential surface thereof, the shoulder having an annular surface extending at substantially right angles to the axis of said members and joining withsaid circumferential surface to form a sharp corner therewith, assembling the end member with thegrooved body member with the end edge of said end member abutting said annular surface and fitting snugly within said corner without the formation of a substantial open crevice, applying welding heat to said members adjacent said groove causing said shoulder and-said end edge of said ther member to weld together by fusion to form a substantially smooth continuous weld surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Number Name Date 774,041 Cofiin Nov. 1, 1904 1,013,810 Peacock Jan. 2, 1912 1,097,744 Avery et a1 May 26, 1914 m Number 6 Name Date McCrery June 12, 1928 Richman Feb. 12, 1929 Wertz July 2, 1929 Bayles June 28, 1930 Reed Sept. 24, 1935 Catlett Aug. 31, 1937 Bullock Aug. 6, 1940 Brodie June -6, 1944 

